Bent Not Broken
by JJS4
Summary: Set during the beginning of Season 10. This is a Sam/OC story. Sam and Dani dated for awhile, but after Sam breaks things off, she's left pick herself up and try to move on, but that's a little hard for her to do, especially when Sam comes to her when he needs help with Dean.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a Sam/OC story and it's quite angsty throughout, because it takes place during the beginning of Season 10. If you haven't see Season 10 yet, there are spoliers ahead, so read at your own risk. I hope you like it. If you do, please let me know by letting me know in the form of a comment. There are more parts to come, so I hope you enjoy :)**

At any other time, sharing a bed with Sam Winchester would have been a cake walk for Dani. Well, not entirely. He did have a snoring problem, but that wasn't her main problem at the moment. She would have been able to fall asleep next to him without feeling like it was hard for her to breathe, but tonight was different. On any other night she would have been able to stay relaxed if his hands or feet touched against hers, but tonight wasn't just any other night. Knowing that kept her wide awake next to him as he slept.

She didn't know how he had managed to just crawl into the bed, curl up, and pass out. She didn't know how he could compartmentalize his thoughts or feelings in order to just fall asleep without any trouble at all.

A small part of her hated him for being able to just pretend everything was alright, that everything was normal. That same small part of her wanted to grab her pillow and hit him with it several times, but she was able to control her rage. And then his arm draped over her waist and pulled her to him, his hot body pressed against hers.

Dani didn't know if Sam had done it out of routine, or if he hadn't noticed, but it didn't matter. All that mattered to her was getting out of the bed as soon as she could.

His snoring told her that he was indeed asleep, so she carefully moved, wiggling her body out of his hold. She didn't want to him wake him up; all she wanted was an escape from being so close to him. She used to love and crave his touch once upon a time, but not anymore.

Now it was her own personal hell, considering the pain it caused her heart.

They had dated once upon a time for an entire year. It was her longest relationship with anyone, even before she became a hunter. Things were surprisingly good with Sam. Being with him and hunting together had been easy. It seemed like they were perfect for each other. They were like each other enough to make it easy when things would get difficult or complicated and not so much alike that they would bump heads repeatedly. It felt like the perfect balance to her.

Even Dean had commented about how good they were for each other, and she would always agree with Dean because the words seemed accurate. She was able to help Sam relax when he would get stressed. She'd be there for him, listening to him talk about whatever was bothering him. Whenever he felt comfortable enough to share his personal issues with her, she listened to him, not judging him or making him feel like he couldn't say whatever was on his mind.

She helped him by making time for him and her to do something that he would find fun and enjoyable, like relaxing on a beach or going to an art museum. She did that whenever she would notice that he looked physically and/or mentally drained.

Sam helped her just as much. He helped her through countless rough hunts, hunts that included losing innocent people, which was hard for her, but Sam was always there for her, always there to give her comfort or whatever else she needed. She didn't even need to ask for it; he just knew.

He also helped by making her a better hunter. He would spend countless hours teaching her every little thing that he had learned since he first starting hunting, which was long before she even knew about anything in the supernatural field. He helped her train, physically making her stronger. He would spend many days and hours teaching her a wide array of fighting techniques he had learned from his dad and Dean, which he had mastered.

He helped her become a better person all around by just being himself. And then he broke her into pieces as if the entire year meant nothing at all to him. She didn't want to believe that, but it was difficult to see it any other way.

She didn't understand the timing of it. Just as she was going to gather the courage to tell him that she loved him, Sam had decided to end their relationship. If that wasn't bad enough, his explanation came in the form of a very vague excuse about how being together was too dangerous, but she didn't understand. It sounded more like a cop out to her than anything else. In all the time that they had been together, hunting side by side, they had never had a close call, so his words didn't have any weight to them.

The fact was probably that he didn't feel the same way for her as he once did. She didn't know why he couldn't just tell her the truth. By lying to her he made her feel more than worthless, like she meant so little to him.

She finally rolled off the bed without waking him and considered that a win for the night. She would either sleep on the floor or in the car, it didn't matter to her. She just couldn't sleep next to him, not when it hurt so much to be near him, not when he was no longer hers.

While making her way to the door, briefly she wondered if Sam found it easy to be around her because he didn't care about her the same way that he once did. She wondered if that was because he had moved on or maybe even found someone else.

Just the thought of that made it hard for her to breathe. Just thinking of some other woman touching him, kissing him, feeling his skin against hers, made Dani want to scream.

She slipped out of the room and walked to her car. She got in and opened her glove department, finding a small box inside and lighter as well. She retrieved her cigarettes, a habit Sam had gotten her to quit long ago. She stepped out of the car and walked to the bumper. She stepped on it and boosted herself so she could sit on the trunk.

She didn't know what to expect when Dean had called and asked for her help on a case, but she knew she wanted to help. She knew seeing Sam would be difficult, but she didn't think she'd ever end up in the same bed as him. Unfortunately, the motel they were staying at only had two rooms available and each room only had one bed. When Dean suggested they go out to have a few drinks and then spent the whole time flirting with the waitress, it was more than obvious Dean was going to take her back to his room, leaving Dani with only one option, the option she hadn't prepared herself for.

As she smoked the cigarette and tried to gather her emotions, she heard a door open from behind her. She turned around to see him. Sam. He was standing in the doorway of the room, giving her a quizzical look. She just turned around and continued to smoke. She didn't have anything to say to him.

When she heard the door close, she figured Sam had went back in, but that wasn't true, instead he had decided to walk over to her. She briefly made eye contact before looking back down at the concrete. He slumped against her bumper, standing in just his pajama bottoms and a hoodie, the same as her.

It had been two months since he had broken her heart, but it felt like no time had passed. She was still in pain and seeing him only made that pain increase. It was like she couldn't see him as the same Sam she'd dated and that hurt more than she could describe.

"Couldn't sleep?" Sam's voice flowed between them.

"Not even a little," she answered, blowing out smoke.

Sam must have noticed the awkwardness surrounding them, because he decided to try small talk. "You started smoking again?" he asked, even though the answer was right in front of his face.

She shrugged. "Yup." She knew that Sam breaking up with her was something that she couldn't control, but that didn't mean that she couldn't control how she took the break up. Some might call being pretend nice to the person who ripped your heart out taking the high road. She shook her head at that.

She wanted to take the low road. She wanted to be bitter. Being fake nice wasn't in the cards. Her feelings for Sam were too strong to just pretend he was just any other person in the world to her.

"How long have you been doing that?"

"Three days after we last saw each other," she said, not seeing the point of lying to him.

"I really wish you hadn't picked that back up," he commented, as she flicked the cigarette across the parking lot.

"Yeah, well I really wish that you hadn't broken up with me, but life doesn't always give you what you want. Why do you even care anyway, Sam? It isn't like I mean anything to you anymore."

"That's not true." He sighed and stood in front of her. "You mean a lot to me, Dani."

"So pushing me away means that you care? Okay, well then explain what the hell we were doing for that year. What the hell was that? Was that you caring as well or not caring? I need to know, because you're not making any sense to me, Sam."

"Of course I cared about you, Dani. I always have and always will."

Who was he trying to kid her?

"Oh, okay. No worries then. I'm glad we had this talk." She spat out before jumping off the trunk and walking towards the driver door. "Tell Dean, I said bye," she called over her shoulder. She didn't make it in the car before Sam grabbed her elbow, holding her in place.

"Why are you making this so difficult for me?" he asked, genuine curiosity on his face.

"Difficult for you? You've got to be fucking kidding me! I'm supposed to make things easy for you after what you did? Screw that and screw you!"

"That's not what I mean. I'm trying to explain it to you, but you won't listen to me."

"Listen to what? You already told me why you did what you did. It was no longer safe for us to be together. I got it! It's complete bullshit, but I get it, Sam. Now, can I go?"

"No!" Sam nearly screamed and released her arm. "Just stop and listen for a second, please!" he pleaded. She didn't meet his eyes, because she knew the puppy dog eyes would be there and she wanted no part of that. He took her silence as permission for him to continue. "I'm sorry for the way I handled things that night. I know it all came out of nowhere and that it wasn't easy for you to make any sense of, but I had no other option."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because, I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Good fucking job." She spat out and crossed her arms over her chest. "Thanks for being so selfless, Sam!"

"I know you're mad and you have every right to be mad at me, but be mad for the right reasons."

"Such as?" she bit out sarcastically.

"I lied. I told you that I didn't think we should be together, because hunting together while being together would lead to heartbreak, but that wasn't the real reason I needed to end things." He stopped, watching her as his words hit her.

"Well? What was it then? Did you find someone else? What?"

"I haven't been with anyone since you." He reassured her and despite how mad she was, a large part of her believed him. "I hadn't been with anyone for as long as I was with you since Jess. It was amazing and I hadn't been so happy in years, but it was also really scary because of how things ended with her."

She closed her eyes and sighed. Sam told her shortly after their four month anniversary about Jess. It was horrible. She couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for him to lose her the way that he did, but why was he using that as justification for hurting her?

"I knew things were different with us. I knew I wasn't ever going to wake up to find you the way I found Jess, that's not what I'm trying to say." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I loved Jess, but after she died, I didn't allow myself to ever feel that way again. Sure there were women, but none of them meant the same to me as she did...that was until I met you."He looked at her and she froze. What was he saying? "I could feel it, but I denied it for so long. I didn't want it to be true. I didn't want to believe it, because if I did, well, I don't have the best track record with women, as you well know."

She nodded, more to herself than him. She knew the women, knew how bad it had been. From Jess to Amelia, it hadn't worked out well at all for him, but she thought that it was different with her, because she was a hunter; she could protect herself. He didn't need to worry about a demon or anything else coming for her, because she could handle it. All of it. And he'd be right there with her.

"I'm sorry I lied, but I couldn't tell you that I was breaking up with you because I-" he stopped, clearing his throat.

"Say it."

"Say what?"

"You broke up with me, because…?" she let her silence be his cue. She watched as he switched back and forth on his feet and saw his cheeks turn rosy pink. He bit his bottom lip.

"Why?" he asked, not looking at her.

"Because I want to hear you say it, even if it's just this once. Say it. You owe me that, Sam. You owe me for breaking up with me when I implied to you that I was falling for you, so say it."

"Will it make anything easier for you?"

She shook her head. No, it wouldn't, but she didn't care. "Say it, Sam."

He took a deep breath and then swallowed hard, his eyes finally meeting hers. "I love you."

She swallowed at his words, letting herself take just a small moment to savor the sounds of those words coming from his mouth. "Do you mean it?" she asked, already know, but still convinced that he might have been lying to her in an attempt to make everything easier for her. He nodded, still looking into her eyes, which now had tears in them. She believed him, knowing that Sam wouldn't lie about his feelings, not just to spare hers. "You still think we should break up?" He nodded again, but she didn't freak out, she just walked forward towards him. "Even if I told you that I loved you too, that I didn't care about your history, that I only cared about us and our future?" she asked, holding his gaze, not caring how pathetic or vulnerable she was being in that moment.

Hope had risen inside of her. If he actually loved her, they had a chance at making it work. It was a chance she hated taking, knowing that she was giving him another chance to break her, but she needed to, she needed to make sure that she tried as hard as she could to make it work.

After all, she did still love him, even if part of her didn't want to. It would so much easier if she didn't love him.

"You'd want to be with me, even after I broke your heart?"

She nodded. "I would. I do." She licked her lips and then kept staring into his beautiful eyes.

"I love you, Dani. I can't deny that now. I won't even try."

"But?" she guessed.

He nodded. "But I can't risk hurting you because I want to be selfish."

"It's my life, Sam, and you won't hurt me."

"Yes, but this is also my decision that I made and according to you. I already hurt, so why would I want to do anymore damage?"

She backed away from him, feeling her confidence decrease. "So, I love you and you love me, but we're just supposed to say 'Oh, well.' and move on?"

"I don't know any other way."

"Being together seems like a good opportunity to make things better for us, wouldn't you say?"

"I wish I could say, 'Screw it.' and take you back in that room with me right now, but I will not be selfish, not when it comes to you. I want things to be good between us. I want us to end this and still be on good terms."

"How exactly can I do that, Sam?" She pushed past him and opened the driver's door. "I don't know what the hell you thought pushing me away was going to accomplish. I don't know how you thought breaking my heart over and over was helpful to me, but it certainly didn't make me feel good or like I could end this on a friendly note."

Sam sighed, his face set into a permanent frown. "Please, just-"

"Stop, Sam." She climbed into her car and started it. "I love you, Sam, so I guess according to your rules, I have to push you away now." She buckled her seatbelt. She didn't want to leave, but what other choice did she have? She couldn't be around him. It would only cause her more pain. "Goodbye."

"Wait, please!"

She closed her eyes, only hesitating for a moment before she pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Sam standing all by himself, the way he seemed to want it all along.

She wiped her eyes as she drove, trying to get rid of tightening in her chest and the lump in her throat. She didn't know what she was going to do, long term, but she did know one thing: The next time Dean called for backup, she would send another hunter. She was done being heartbroken, she was done with everything.


	2. Chapter 2

Every time Dani closed her eyes at night, she would see Sam. She would see him showing off his adorable dimples as he smiled at her. It was enough to drive her towards the bar most nights in order to wipe that face from her mind—and if she drank enough it was almost possible. Sometimes it didn't help, but even in that case, she would only have to deal with it until she passed out and that was good enough for her.

It had been a long seven months since she had seen Sam and just about as long since she last worked a case. It didn't happen all at once. At first it was a break, but she would still be there to help others, but then even that stopped.

She needed a break, just a break, but one week lead to another and then before she knew it, she no longer considered herself a hunter. She'd passed up many hunts in the last seven months and she couldn't find it in herself to care. It was selfish and she knew it, but she tried to convince herself that it was okay for her to be selfish, that she had done enough.

Hunting was something Dani associated with the best year of her life, which was now painful for her to think about given that almost every single memory of hunting involved Sam and she didn't want another reason to have to think about him.

"Another one, please," Dani alerted the bartender when she finished her drink.

"You sure?"

"Definitely." She smiled to the woman behind the bar, who seemed to be reluctant, but gave in eventually.

When the door opened, it caught her attention. Her friend Trevor entered the bar and gave her a quick smile before joining her. "Dani, please tell me that you haven't been drinking since we talked on the phone."

"Is that what you want to hear or do you want the truth?"

He sighed and sat down next to her, nudging her shoulder. "So this is what you're doing now? You just get drunk?"

"Pretty much." She shrugged. "It's fun and a less dangerous of a way of living my life. You should try it sometime."

"It's dangerous for your liver. I think I'll pass and just stick to the occasional night of drinking," he told her, ordering a drink. "So besides drinking too much, how's life treating you?"

"Like shit."

Trevor sighed and shook his head. "This isn't going to get better until you move on. You're just going to stay stuck in the endless loop of pain."

"Thanks for the warning, Dr. Phil," she hiccupped.

"Have you had any contact with Sam or even Dean?"

She shook her head and blinked hard, trying to fight off the dizzy sensation she felt when she shook her head from side to side. "I don't want to have any contact with them."

"Liar," he told her as the bartender brought him his drink. "I know you too well, Dani. You'd love nothing more than for Sam to come walking in here and begging you to come back to him."

She felt pathetic, because Trevor happened to be right. "That is never going to happen and I don't like to dwell on stuff that isn't going to happen, so can we just focus on reality?"

For the next hour Dani and Trevor drank more than their fair share of beer and Dani was beginning to get emotional. Trevor hadn't brought up Sam once, since she had made it clear that she didn't want to talk about him, but that didn't stop Sam from working his way into her mind anyway.

She was staring at the empty glass of beer in front of her, tears in her eyes and chewing at her bottom lip, trying to hold them back, when Trevor returned from the restroom. "Thinking of calling it a night. You?" She nodded and stood up with a sigh.

Trevor paid the tab off and walked Dani back to her room. "I've gotta head off to Vermont in the morning, so I'm going to get some sleep. I suggest that you do the same."

"I will," she grumbled. She hated feeling sorry for herself, but she'd never been so lost or hurt before, so she didn't know how to cope when all she had was herself.

"I'll call you in a week or two to check in, okay?" he asked, as they reached her room.

"Okay. Be safe out there."

"You too and if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call me, okay?" He held out his arms and soon she found herself in his embrace. "Take care of yourself." His words must have struck a chord, because before she could stop herself, she was crying against his chest. "You need to talk to him," Trevor whispered to her and she shook her head.

"I can't." She sniffled. "It hurts to see him. It hurts to talk to him. He doesn't want to be with me."

"I don't believe that."

"He told me himself."

"Yes, but I don't believe he actually meant it when he said it to you. I've seen him with you; it just doesn't add up."

"Well, I can't change his mind. I already tried." She cried more into his chest. "I told him that I loved him and he pushed me away."

"Because he's stubborn as hell. You know him, he's nothing if not self-sacrificing. For some reason he's pushing you away and I doubt it actually has anything to do with you." She let out a ragged breath and silently agreed. That did describe Sam accurately. "Get some sleep tonight and then I promise tomorrow will be a better day."

She backed away from him and wiped her eyes, which she was surprised could still produce tears after all the nights and days she spent crying until she didn't have the energy to do so anymore. "Shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

"I always keep mine," he told her kissing her forehead. "Call me tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded and sighed. "Thanks for walking me back."

"You got it." He winked before walking away. Dani stood outside of her motel room for a few minutes, before heading inside. All she wanted to do was shower, smoke a cigarette, and then fall into bed.

She unlocked her door and flipped on her light, she immediately regretted turning on the harsh light. The room was a disaster. She would have freaked out if she didn't know any better. The mess was of her own making. She often times threw things across the room in a fit of rage, or just threw her clothes on the floor and didn't bother picking them up until she needed something to wear.

She didn't used to be that way, but things were different now. She was a different person.

She closed the door and stumbled across the room, bending down to grab some shorts and a clean sports bra, she didn't bother with anything else before heading into the bathroom. Showers were always something that helped calm herself down. The warm water and the pressure of it moving across her muscles was always welcomed. She'd stay in the shower for longer than necessary, just letting the water run over every part of her body.

It was also where she'd find herself thinking about Sam. Every time she got into a shower, she thought of Sam, because for a long time, she never took a shower without him in there with her. He'd be in there, running his hands over her body, lightly kissing her neck, running his tongue over her earlobe, as his fingers grazed over her clit, teasing her until she was begging him to fuck her.

That was always how their nights had ended, but not anymore. Now her nights ended with her being alone and most likely that would never change.

She slipped on her shorts and sports bra before walking out, her mind on getting a cigarette to help calm her nerves. She made it two steps into the room before an all too familiar scent hit her so hard, she nearly lost her footing.

She turned her head and then let out a sigh. The downside to drinking too much was that most of the time if she drank enough, like tonight, she hallucinated and it usually involved Sam. She looked at the foot of her bed and there he was, looking back at her. Hallucination Sam's arm was in a sling. Why would he be wearing a sling? He wasn't even real.

She looked for a moment, before rolling her eyes and walking over to her purse, grabbing the cigarette pack out.

"So this is how you've been spending your time? I can't believe it." Sam's voice flowed, filling the room.

"I don't care," she muttered, angered that she was giving him any attention at all. It wasn't like he was real, so why indulge her own fucked up mind?

As Dani grabbed one of the cigarettes and searched for her lighter, she heard the mattress springs and she knew that he had stood up. "Why did you leave your door unlocked? Anyone could have come in here."

"Nobody did. I'm the only one here," she told him, but she said it more for her benefit than anything else. She finally found her lighter and lit the cigarette and headed for the door, but Sam stopped her. She let her head hang low as she sighed.

"We need to talk." He told her, as she tried to compose herself. She was pretty certain that it wasn't the real Sam in front of her, but she was confused because he definitely felt real when his hand wrapped around her elbow.

"I don't have anything to say."

"Nothing?" he questioned. "You have nothing to say? You gave up hunting and you have nothing to say about it? You're clearly a wreck and you have nothing to say?"

"Nope. I don't." She pulled her arm from his grip and took a few steps back. "Leave me alone." She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them that he wouldn't be there, but upon opening her eyes, she was saddened that he was still there, staring at her, his hazel eyes filled with concern. Concern for her?

"Trevor called me earlier tonight. He told me to get my ass here, because you weren't doing well. As it turns out, I was already trying to track you down, so I was more than willing to come. I didn't believe him at first, but standing here right now, in front of you, I can't believe that you let yourself fall apart like this."

Why was her mind screwing with her? "Let myself?" she snorted. "I had no choice."

"No choice?"

If the man in front of her wasn't the real Sam, which she was sure he wasn't, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Maybe it would help her.

"You broke me, Sam," she told him, her voice was firm and she was proud that she didn't slur her words. "You took everything I gave you and you broke it into little pieces. I'm like this because you didn't care. You threw me to the side, so don't blame all of this on me." She sat down on the bed and took a puff of her cigarette. "You took everything that made me happy and no matter what I did I couldn't get it back, so I'm just trying to live a normal shitty life."

"This is normal? Living in dirty motel rooms, drinking yourself silly every single night, and quitting your job?"

"What can I say? The motivation wasn't there anymore."

In a flash, Sam was in front of her, taking her cigarette out of her hand. It didn't even occur to her that her hallucinations normally couldn't do that. He put out her cigarette in a half empty beer bottle that she figured was probably three days old.

"I'm sorry." he told her. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for meeting you, I'm sorry for making promises to you, I'm sorry for falling in love with you and I'm sorry for pushing you away. Dani, I'm sorry that I wasn't the guy you deserved."

"You're a dick, you know that? Don't try to be a martyr."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Just stop. You made your choice and I'm living with it, so why don't you do the same?"

Sam sighed and gave her a heartbreaking look. "I hate seeing you like this."

"So, what? This is what you wanted, quit pretending that you care. You made it more than clear that you don't, so leave me alone. Move on, Sam. I did."

"No, you didn't. You just gave up. That's different than moving on."

"Oh well." She sighed laying back on her bed.

"I hate myself for doing this to you, I never wanted this for you. Never."

She was tired, tired of trying, so why was she imagining him? Making him say all the things she wanted to hear?

"I wish I could hate you. I wish I could hate every single thing about you. I think it would make all of this so much easier, but I don't, so now I'm stuck with you in my head."

"You don't hate me?" he asked, moving closer to her. His cologne was making it hard for her to keep a clear head.

"Oh, how I wish I could, but I'm not that strong. I'm just a weak little girl who is in love with a man who just wants to hurt her over and over again." She was too tired to talk anymore, so she just lay there and when she almost fell asleep she could see that the light had been turned off, she also felt her bed dip and Sam's scent made its way to her, even stronger than before. It was going to be a long night for her. She laid awake for a while thinking about the real Sam, wondering where he was and if he was happy.

* * *

Dani awoke the next morning and the first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was that she was alone in her bed. She let out a sigh. Last night had just been a dream or some crazy episode. She rolled onto her back and tried to stop herself from feeling sad that he wasn't actually there.

Why would he be there? He didn't care about her. She was just a burden that he had to rid himself of. After laying and staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, she decided to get up. As she started to roll out of bed, ready to leave the small town in exchange for a new one, she felt something under her hand, she heard something crinkle when she put her weight on it. She moved her hand and look down finding a piece of paper. She almost ignored it, but something made her look at it. She unfolded it, laying back down on her back, as she was certain she couldn't walk just yet; the room was still spinning. She looked at the paper and squinted, almost immediately she recognized the handwriting.

 _ **Went for Coffee. Don't leave before I get back, please. We need to talk.**_

She stared at the paper, reading the message a few times, making sure she had read it right the first time. When she was convinced that she had, she sighed and closed her eyes.

So last night wasn't just an hallucination or a dream? It really happened? She opened her eyes knowing that the longer she laid on the bed, the more time she would be wasting. Fighting against the spinning room, she made her way to the restroom, gathering everything she could gather in her hands. She needed to bail before Sam got back.

Her duffle bag was under the bed, so when she came out of the room, she dropped her things on her bed and searched for it, the whole time she tried to stop herself from vomiting all over the floor.

She frantically grabbed items off the floor and started shoving them into the bag, she wasn't sure what was clean or dirty, but she didn't care. It didn't matter. She grabbed her jacket off the table when she finished filling her bag with all her things, she did one last glance, checking to make sure that she had everything she would need. She walked out of the room and immediately hated herself for not having a pair of sunglasses.

She shielded her eyes with her hands quickly walking to her car and throwing her back in the backseat. Grabbing her ID and her handbag, she ran towards the front office, ready to check out.

As soon as she emerged from the office she felt sick to her stomach. A car was parked right next to hers, blocking it from her view. She didn't see the car before. She silently prayed that it wasn't Sam's. She wanted it to be somebody else, anybody else.

She ran to her car and her stomach twisted when she saw Sam leaning against her hood. "Good morning," he greeted her, holding out a cup of coffee. "Thought you'd need this."

Dani stood in front of him, fiddling with her keys. "I don't need anything. Especially something from you," she told him, meeting his eyes.

"I know, but take it anyway. I bet you'll be thanking me later."

"I won't be seeing you later, so no, I won't."

"That's what you think," he muttered. "Drink up, we got a case to get started on."

She blinked at him, not moving. "Are you certifiably insane?"

"Sometimes." He held out his hand, pushing the coffee closer to her. She couldn't deny that the coffee smelled really good. "I also got you something to eat, so let's get going. We should be there tonight unless we hit traffic."

"We? I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Don't be crazy. Your things are already in my trunk."

She walked past Sam, and looked in her backseat. He wasn't lying her things were gone. "What did you do?"

"I told you last night that you should keep your doors locked."

"Give me my things back."

Sam nodded placing the coffee in her hands. "I will. After we get done with the case."

"I'm not going."

"Yes, you are," he told her as if she didn't have another choice. That was something that she both loved and disliked about Sam. He was the most stubborn man she had ever met, besides his older brother Dean.

"I don't hunt anymore, Sam." She sighed, feeling sick and exhausted.

"Don't worry, it's like riding a bike. I've taken a couple breaks myself."

She rolled her eyes. Is that what he thought? Is that all he thought this was? "This isn't just a break. I'm done. For good."

"Even if I told you that Dean needed help?" Sam asked, standing up from the hood. Dani felt her jaw drop instantly at his words.

"What's wrong with Dean?" she asked, much more willing to listen to him than she had before.

"He's not doing well. It has to do with the mark." Sam started, moving closer to her. "I'm on my way to go get him right now, so let's go. I'll explain everything on the way," he said, tossing her a wink and walking over to the driver's side of his car.

She stared at him for a moment, not sure what to do. She didn't want to go with him. She just wanted to move on, even if it seemed impossible, but she knew she couldn't do that, not if Dean was in need of help. Sam wouldn't lie about something like that. Even if she didn't care about Dean, she couldn't leave, Sam had all of her belongings, which contained a few things that she couldn't replace. So bit her lip and looked at her car.

"What am I supposed to do about my car?"

"Leave it." Sam simply told her. "It's not exactly your car anyway, is it?"

"That isn't yours," she countered.

"It is for the moment," he said, with a smile. "Get in. I want to catch up with Dean. I really need your help. I might not deserve to ask you for anything, but Dean needs your help, so help him."

She sighed and placed her keys on the driver's seat of the car, before hopping into Sam's, which wasn't exactly a car that suited him very well. Sam grabbed a bag from of the backseat. "Alright, eat up."

She turned to him and shook her head. She'd help Dean in anyway that she could, hell she'd help Sam too, but she wasn't going to walk into anything blind. "First tell me what's going on with Dean. How much trouble is he in?"

* * *

 **What do you think so far? Feedback is always welcomed :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Dani had been riding with Sam for a while in complete silence. Sam didn't seemed bothered by the silence, in fact he seemed more than than happy to just drive and focus on the road, but Dani could tell that he was thinking pretty hard. She knew him; she knew when he was in his head. He had good reason to be in his head. He had a difficult task ahead of him.

She still couldn't wrap her head around what Sam had told her. Dean and Sam went after Metatron only to have it end with Metatron stabbing Dean and killing him. As if that wasn't enough to take the air out of Dani's lungs, she was also told that Dean somehow survived it and disappeared. Not only had Dean been missing for the last six months, but he was also a demon.

She wasn't sure if she believed it or not, but she couldn't believe that Sam would lie to her about something like that. He wouldn't stoop to something that messed up in the hopes of getting her to go on a hunt with him.

She knew the Mark of Cain was affecting Dean in a negative way, but she never thought that it would turn him into a monster. Of course there was a lot she didn't know about the Mark or its effects on Dean.

"Are you sure?" she asked Sam, when the silence had become too intense for her liking. She had questions and she wasn't sure if Sam knew the answers to them or not, but that wasn't going to stop her.

"I saw it on a surveillance video. He killed a man and then looked right into the camera. His eyes were black as night, there was no other way to interpret what that meant."

"And it isn't just a demon inside of Dean?"

"No, according to Crowley, that's the real Dean, the Dean who has been suppressed for so long and now he's free to do whatever he feels like doing."

"And you believe that? You believe Crowley? That Dean is actually a demon?"

"I do." Sam nodded, looking over to her as they stopped at a red light. "It's the Mark of Cain; it turned him."

"Why didn't you say anything to me about this last night, Sam?"

"You were drunk. I didn't see the point. I knew you wouldn't have believed me and plus, you seemed to have other things on your mind."

She shook her head. It was true. What time she had been sulking over Sam like a child, Sam and Dean were in need of help. How could she have been so selfish?

"So, what are you going to do once you find him?"

"I have a plan, but I'm worried about catching him first. He won't come willingly."

"You think he likes being a demon?"

"Not the real Dean, but I think he likes the feeling of being free and that's going to make it hard to get him to see reason."

Dani nodded, understanding that in a way. Sometimes she liked the idea that it wasn't her job to save people, to risk her life anymore. She liked not having to answer to anyone. "Do you really think Dean would kill someone like that?" Not believing for a second that it was that simple. There had to be another explanation. Dean wouldn't just kill an innocent person.

"No, but I don't know what he is capable of now that he is a demon." Sam shook his head almost as if he couldn't believe the words himself. Dani felt a twinge of sympathy for Sam. She knew just how close he and Dean were, she knew just how far Dean was willing to go for Sam and it scared her that Sam was willing to go just as far for Dean. She hated when Sam put himself in a vulnerable position, but she knew she couldn't stop him, not when it came to his brother.

Instead of telling Sam that she was worried, she decided to push that to the side and change the subject to something a little lighter. As he drove she looked over at him and looked at his arm which was in a sling.

"What happened there?" she asked, pointing to his arm.

He shrugged. "A demon."

"A demon?"

"While I was looking for any hints as to where Dean and Crowley were, I had to interrogate a lot of demons. One of them got the upperhand. It's not a big deal. I'm healing, and the demon is dead, so it doesn't matter."

"Have you been looking for Dean and Crowley all by yourself? I thought you said you tracked Dean's phone? Why didn't you just do that in first place?"

"I lied about that. Dean must have gotten smart and ditched the tracker the moment he took off with Crowley."

"Then how do you know-"

"Crowley. I called him and traced the call, that's how I know where Dean is. I haven't been doing it on my own. I've had some help from Cas, too."

"Cas?" she questioned. "Hasn't he been a little busy with the angels?"

"Getting Dean back is number one priority right now."

She nodded and moved her eyes back to the road. "So where are we headed? Where's Dean?"

"First, I'm gonna be stopping a bar and meeting up with another hunter who has some things I might need in order to get Dean back to his normal self."

"You told another hunter about Dean? Who?"

"No, I didn't tell him it was for Dean, just said I needed some help and he was willing to do it, so…" Sam trailed and Dani nodded along. She had to hand it to Sam. He surely knew what he was doing. He was far more resilient than she was. How could she had not been there for him? How could she have just dropped off the map like that?

How could he even want find her, to ask for her help?

"Sounds like a good plan, Sam."

He looked over at her and gave a weak smile. It looked wrong on him and it broke her even more knowing that Sam was clearly going through a real life nightmare.

Hours later Dani stared out of the passenger door window and sighed. She couldn't believe that she was with Sam again, in the same car. It felt unbelievable to her, like it was all just a dream she was having and she'd wake up at any moment alone in her motel room.

Sam cleared his throat and stopped the car. "We're here."

She sat upright and rubbed her eyes and looked up at the bar finding it's name. "The Black Spur?"

"Yup." Sam said, grabbing a bag from the backseat and looked at her for a moment. She didn't look away from him, but did give him a questioning look. "I'm gonna need you to stay in the car, okay?"

"Why?"

"I told this guy that I was coming alone, and he wasn't too thrilled to be helping me out in the first place."

"Why not?"

"It's a long story, but I think it'd be better if you waited here, okay? Shouldn't take too long, I just need to do a little exchange and I'll be back."

She wasn't sure she believed what he was saying, but she didn't want to make things harder on him, so she just nodded. "I'll be here."

"Thank you for coming with me, it means a lot," he told her, lightly stroking her cheek with his thumb. The intensity of the whole situation left her speechless.

Sam had slipped out of the car and made his way towards the bar, leaving her to stay behind completely dumbfounded.

Sam had been inside the bar for a while and Dani could still feel his touch pressed against her cheek. Why did he have to touch her? Why couldn't he have just thanked her like anyone else would have? She answered her own question: Sam wasn't like anyone else.

Dani had her head leaned back against the passenger seat and thought about Dean. She wasn't delusional when it came to Dean's mental health after he got the Mark on his arm. It was obvious he was changing, but she never could have predicted that things would get so complicated. She shook her head, determined that it would get better. It had to.

Sam was going to save Dean and she was going to help in anyway that she could. She owed that to Dean and she also owed it to Sam for not being there when they needed help.

Getting Dean back was the only thing that mattered, not Sam breaking up with her, or her feeling like a complete waste of space. The only thing that mattered was Dean. She'd deal with the rest of it later.

* * *

She didn't know how long she had waited for Sam, with her head leaned back and her eyes closed shut, but it was long enough that she nearly jolted out of her skin when the driver's door opened. She looked over to see Sam a little worse for wear.

"What the hell?"

"We need to get going," he told her, putting the keys on the driver's seat. "We're switching rides."

"Sam, are you okay?" His whole demeanor had shifted and she could practically see the excitement rolling off of him.

He looked at her for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Your bags are in the trunk," he stated before closing the door. She didn't know what to think, but she got out of the car and met him by the trunk.

She grabbed her bags, throwing them over her shoulder. "What's going on, Sam? I know something happened in there. What was it?"

He sighed and slammed the trunk closed. "I got him," he told her, walking away as if that cleared everything up. She followed him because she needed to know more. Obviously she needed to know more. Sam looked shaken and whether or not she was mad at him, it still bothered her to see him look on edge.

"Him? Who is that?"

"Dean."

"What do you mean you got him?" she asked but feared that she already knew the answer.

"He's in the Impala around back."

"Sam, I-"

"I lied to you okay. I lied. I'm sorry, but I needed to do this part on my own. Don't worry. Everything is okay. He's okay. I'm okay. You're okay. Everything went according to plan."

"Yeah, everything went to plan, but maybe next time you could tell me what the plan is in case it doesn't go how you want it to!"

"I didn't want you going in there, not when he could have hurt you."

"He wouldn't-"

"I wouldn't be so sure. I just needed to make sure that he was secure before you saw him."

"Sam, he could've went after you, too." She looked at him, shaking her head. "Did he? Did he do anything to you?"

He shook his head. "He was a little hung up with someone else. That's how I was able to get him. If you want to be mad, you can be, but I have him and we need to go, now."

A rush of anger came over but before she do anything about it, it was gone. Sam was right. He had Dean, that was what was important. "Fine, let's go." She cleared her throat. "So, how is he?" she asked, as they made their way towards the back of the bar.

Sam stopped for a moment. "He's not the same Dean, okay? I don't know how he'll react to seeing you, so just be careful and remember that it isn't really him, okay?" She nodded as they continued to walk. "No doubt he's going to try and get under your skin, so just sit in the front seat and try and ignore him the best that you can, okay? Once we get him back to the bunker, you won't have to be around him anymore."

"Are you sure he's secured?"

"I handcuffed him." Dani went to remind him that Dean was like MacGyver and that handcuffs would be nothing for him to get out of, but Sam stopped her. "Not a regular pair of course. They are the same ones we used on Crowley when we had him chained up in the dungeon. Dean won't get out of them."

Of course, no demon could get out of them, not even Dean. An involuntary shiver rolled through her.

They rounded the corner and Dani saw the Impala. A strange feeling came over her. She couldn't see Dean, but just knowing that he was close was making her anxious. She stopped and immediately Sam turned back to her.

She was biting her bottom lip and shaking her head.

"Hey, what is it?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, Sam. I don't know if I can do this. What if he sees me and blames me?"

"Blame you?" Sam questioned. "Why the hell would he do that?"

"Because I left. I might have been able to prevent this if-"

"Dani, you couldn't have prevented this. I couldn't prevent it. All we can do now is try our hardest to get him back, that's all. You have nothing to feel bad about."

"What if-"

"Hey," Sam put his hand on her shoulder, making her meet his eyes. "I'm here, okay? He's not going to get away, he's not going to be able to hurt you."

The urge to run was strong for her. She wanted to get away or at least a part of her did. Maybe she could drive the other car and follow them back to the bunker. The thought of being in the same car with Dean wasn't easy. What if he did try and get under her skin? What if he said horrible things to her? She chewed her bottom lip, ready to tell Sam that she'd follow him back, but then she looked into his eyes and saw the sadness just below the surface.

A familiar emotion came over her and it made her eyes water. Sam was going through something she couldn't begin to try and understand and there she was trying to run away. That's what she always did when things got difficult for her; she ran away and didn't think about anyone but herself. When was she ever going to stop being selfish?

"I won't let him hurt you, I promise," Sam told her and Dani couldn't help but marvel at the man in front of her. After everything he just did, he was taking time to comfort her? Wasn't that supposed to be the other way around?

She swallowed thickly and looked away from Sam, looking back to the Impala. "Okay, let's go."

Sam's lips turned up, slightly and lead the way. "We'll be back at the bar before you know it," he quietly told her. She just bit her lip and tightened her hold on her bags.

When they reached the Impala she purposefully chose not to look in the backseat of the car, instead she followed Sam to the back and put her bags in the trunk. When he closed it she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was time to start being a team player, it was time for her to be strong for herself and for Sam and Dean.

She walked to one side of the car as Sam walked to the other. She felt eyes on her and she knew who they belonged to. She looked down at the window and saw him. She saw Dean. His head was pressed against the window and he had a smirk on his face. She would have just thought it was Dean being goofy it wasn't for the change in eye color.

She looked away and looked back to Sam. He gave her a weak smile before opening his door. She followed suit and climbed into the car she hadn't been in for nearly eight months. The first things she noticed was how dirty it was, but she didn't comment on it, she just moved over the trash with her feet and settled in when out of nowhere Dean spoke, but not to her.

"What the hell is he doing here?" he growled from the backseat, making a chill run down Dani's spine. She looked up and then it hit her who he was talking about. Crowley was standing a few feet away from the Impala, looking at Sam and definitely trying his hardest not to look in Dean's general direction.

"He's here for me." Sam answered.

"What?" Dani asked, fear running through her. What did Crowley want with him?

"Don't worry. I just need to give him something."

"What?"

"Don't worry. I'll be back in a second."

She couldn't believe it. Sam was keeping her out of the loop, yet again. "Want me to go with you?"

Sam briefly turned in his seat to look at Dean, who Dani guess was staring at Crowley. Sam turned back to her and shook his head. "No, just stay in the car. I'll be back soon, I promise."

She nodded and tried to ignore the way her stomach began to form thick knots. Sam exited the car as Dani tried to brace herself for whatever the Demon in the backseat decided to do.

For a few moments it was silent and she wasn't sure if that was good thing or not, but she wasn't going to complain. She just kept her back to him and sat quietly, trying not to make a noise as she peered through the windshield keeping a close eye on Sam.

The First Blade. Why the hell was Sam handing that over to Crowley, the King of Hell?

"So you and Sammy are back together. I would say I'm happy for you two crazy kids, but we would both know better than to believe that."

She closed her eyes and put her head down, ready to try and get through whatever it was that he was going to say. As he talked, she kept her mind busy, by repeating that it wasn't the real Dean over and over in her head.

"Surprised to see you, I must say. I thought you were gone for good after Sam tossed you away. I didn't think you'd be pathetic enough to come back, but hey, to each their own."

She bit her bottom lip as he continued to talk. She hoped Sam would get back soon. The sooner they were at the bunker, the sooner Sam could cure him.

"Did he come to you with a sob story about me?" he chuckled. "I bet you ate it up and couldn't wait to be with him again. You never were an independent person, Dani, I think that's what I disliked about you the most. You were just so clingy. You wouldn't do anything without being told. I guess that's what drew Sam to you. Always so submissive. Bet you were so fun in between the sheets."

Dani let out a breath and tried as hard as she could not to react to his words.

"You know, if you were to let me out of these cuffs, I'd show you just how fun it could be to be submissive." Dean was trying, but she wasn't going to budge. She couldn't. The stakes were too high for her to make a stupid decision, to let Dean get the satisfaction of knowing how deep he was in her head.

"You know Sammy doesn't care about you, right? He never did. In fact, I think he just saw you as a piece of ass, but that's all. He got tired of you, and that's when he cut you loose. He's going to do the same after this is all said and done. He's just using you, after all, that's all you're good for anyway, right?"

Dani knew somewhere in the back of her head that he was just trying to get under her skin and that he would say whatever he could in order to accomplish his goal, but that didn't mean he was lying. What if Sam had really just gotten bored of her?

The driver's door opened and Sam got in.

"Are you okay?" he immediately asked her.

She nodded immediately. "I'm fine," she lied with a shaky voice, but didn't say anything else.

Dean's words bobbed around in her brain. The words felt true. She wasn't very independent. She'd been on her own for a while now and what did she have to show for it? Not a damn thing. All she managed to do was pick up smoking and a marathon of late night drinking.

Maybe when she first met Sam and Dean, Sam sensed that she didn't have her life together, that she was agreeable on most things. Maybe Sam saw their relationship as one of convenience, not love.

Sam and Dean talked in the background as Dani tried her best to push the negative thoughts in her head that wouldn't go away.

All she could pick up from Sam and Dean's conversation was that Dean had beaten some guy and let him live. Sam thought that it meant that Dean showed the guy mercy, but Dean disagreed and then told Sam that he wouldn't show him mercy either.

Dani found herself moving closer to Sam, because for the first time since being in the Impala. With Dean in the backseat, she felt scared and unsafe. Of course she went to Sam to help her, because he'd always been able to in the past.

Sam must have sensed her fear, because with his injured hand, he offered her comfort by grabbing her hand. She would have frozen at the contact, just like when he had touched her cheek, but more than anything, she wanted to feel his skin on hers, because even though she didn't expect it, it was comforting.

She wanted to be able to comfort Sam, too. She relaxed into Sam's touch and closed her eyes. Dean had gone silent, so that was one last thing that she had to worry about.

When they got back to the bunker, Sam turned to her. "Let's get this show on the road," he told her. "Let me get him settled in before you come, okay?"

She had no problem with that. She didn't want to be anywhere near Dean. "Yeah."

"Please tell me I'm getting the honeymoon suite, Sammy." Dean said from the backseat. Dani could hear the smile in his voice and it made her sick.

Sam sighed and got out of the car. Almost immediately Dean opened his mouth. "Make sure you stop by and see me. I make good company." Just like before, she ignored him. She couldn't wait to get the real Dean back and not just for her own peace of mind, but Sam's as well.

* * *

 **This was my first time writing Demon Dean. How did I do? Please feel free to let know what you thought. I hope you are liking it so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

Dani used to feel safe in the bunker, but now it didn't feel safe. It just felt weird—thanks to the fact that they had Dean locked in the dungeon. The whole situation was beyond strange. Beyond frightening.

She sat in the library and looked around at everything she used to see every single day. It had been so long since she'd been there, but everything looked the same.

Of course it would look the same, she thought to herself and rolled her eyes. Sam and Dean weren't much for decorating and Dean wasn't big on change. As she sat in the library, smoking a cigarette, which after the past few hours was long overdue, she couldn't help but remember all the time she had spent in the library, all the research she would do with Sam by her side and Dean across the table, trying his hardest to try and get out of doing the research.

A small smile pulled at her lips. She missed the bunker, but even more she missed Sam and Dean. Even before she and Sam started dating, they had been good friends. They were able to talk with each other for hours, keeping each other going by making the other one laugh.

It was easy to laugh around Sam, because unlike Dean, he didn't let a lot of stuff weigh him down. Sam was able to stay mostly positive, despite some of the horrible things he had been through. That was one of the things she admired most about Sam. She wished that she could be more like him in that aspect, but she was so different from him. Sam was stronger than her, both physically and emotionally.

That's why he was down in the dungeon with Dean, while she was in the library, away from any form of danger. She couldn't help but feel bad. She was at the bunker, but Sam was still the one doing all the heavy lifting. If anything, she was just an observer.

Why did Sam come get her in the first place? Did he think she would actually be of any real help? What could she do?

She'd been sitting for a couple of hours, and the whole time she had a knot in her stomach. She hated the thought of Sam being down there with Dean all by himself. Dean said some fucked up things to her; she could only imagine what he was saying to Sam and how much of it Sam was taking to heart.

Dani's attention was thwarted when her phone buzzed on the table in front of her. She stared at it for a moment, unsure of who could be calling her. She had only stayed in contact with two people since quitting hunting. She looked at her phone and sighed when she didn't recognize the number, but decided to answer so she had something to do.

She cleared her throat before answering. "Hello?"

"Dani?"

"Yeah. Who is this?"

"It's me, Chris."

She stared at the wood of the table in front of her, trying to remember who the man was, but nothing came to mind. "I'm sorry, who?"

"Chris. We met last week at Shooters; we talked all night?"

Her mind swam. She definitely remembered the place, but she didn't remember him. How drunk was she when they started talking? Why would she give him her number? She never did that. She would never give a guy her number when she was still hung up over Sam, or at least she would never do that when she was sober.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I don't remember you. I must have been pretty drunk at the time. Hope you understand," she explained, hoping he would take the hint that she wasn't interested and move on.

"Are you sure you don't remember me? The aspiring actor, tall, blue eyes, blonde hair?"

She made a face. He didn't sound like her type at all. What had she been thinking when she gave him her number?

"Again, I had a lot to drink that night. Sorry if I gave you some kind of false hope."

"What's the problem? You are single, aren't you?"

Maybe if she told him that she wasn't, he would finally back off.

"Actually, I'm not single. You met me on a very alcohol-induced night. Again, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."

"So your boyfriend let you go to a bar all by yourself and get sloppy drunk?"

Who the hell was this guy? Was he incapable of taking a hint? And what made him think that she was the kind of woman who let her boyfriend tell her where she could go and what she could do all by herself? She was so tired of this guy.

"Again, sorry for the misunderstanding, Chris. Have a good night," she said into the receiver, no real emotion in her words. She hung up as he started talking again and took a deep breath.

She shook her head, a little at the guy, but more to herself. How could she spend her time with men like that? How could she spent her time just drinking every single night? She was lucky she didn't give out her number to any more men or do anything she would have regretted with them.

Was Dean right? Was she really that pathetic?

"Who's Chris?"

Sam's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she looked at him wide-eyed, not sure how to answer his question.

Sam walked over to the table a seat on the edge of it, a few feet away from her. She wasn't sure what she could say. Would he think bad of her if she told him the truth? Of course he would, she thought to herself.

"Nobody memorable." she said, before quickly changing the subject. "How's it going down there?"

Sam stared at her for a moment, before running a hand through his hair. She took a moment, just to look at him. He looked exhausted. The only other time she had seen him look worse was when he was going through the trails. A frown pulled at her lips. She wanted to help, him but she couldn't. It wasn't fair to Sam that he had only her and she couldn't do a damn thing, not that he would let her anyway.

His hair fell over his face when he put his head down and she couldn't help but stare at the long locks. How she missed running her hands through his hair. Quickly she stopped herself from thinking about the many other things she missed about Sam.

"It's going as good as can be expected, but it still sucks, you know?"

She nodded to him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That you have to go through this, Sam. That it rests on your shoulders. That I can't help you."

"You are helping me."

"I am? How?"

"Just by being here. I don't feel so alone." He sighed and looked at her for a moment. "Don't feel bad about anything, Dani. It was never your responsibility to find Dean and cure him. I was just selfish and didn't want to do it alone."

"Sam, you're not selfish."

Sam shook his head, clearly disagreeing with her and just when she was about to stop him from disagreeing, her phone rang again. Her heart sank as she looked down to see the same number from her previous caller.

What the hell was that guy's problem?

"You gonna answer that?" Sam asked and she shook her head.

"Not important," she told him pushing her phone away.

"That wouldn't be a call from a guy named Chris, would it?" Sam asked, moving closer and she grabbed her phone.

"Sam-"

"Is he a hunter?"

She shook her head, still not wanting the whole truth to come out. The phone kept ringing until Sam snatched it out of her hands.

"Sam!"

He held a finger up to his lips and answered the phone. Dani stood up, directly in front of Sam, wondering just what he was planning to do.

"Hello?" Sam answered, his eyes on hers. She quickly looked away, feeling ashamed of herself.

"No, she isn't available right now. This is her boyfriend, though. Can I take a message or are you finally going to accept that she's not interested in talking to you?" She couldn't believe how calm his voice was.

She couldn't understand why Sam was doing it. Why was he helping her, when for all he knew she had slept with that guy? She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Sam handed her back her phone. "I think he'll stop calling now," he told her, walking away from her. She couldn't let Sam walk away without knowing what had really happened, so she quickly followed him, grabbing his uninjured arm and tugging on it.

Sam stopped, but didn't look at her.

"That guy on the phone was a nobody, Sam. I met him in a bar and gave him my number when I was extremely drunk. Nothing happened between me and him. I just got drunk and made the dumb mistake of giving him my number, that's all," she told him, hoping that by some miracle Sam would believe her.

"Okay," he said, as if that was all he needed to hear.

"You believe me, don't you?" she asked, needing to know, because even though they weren't together, she couldn't bear the thought of him thinking that she'd spent the last few months hooking up with random guys.

"Does it matter?" he asked, still with his back to her.

"Yes, it matters to me." Sam turned and looked at her, but didn't say anything, he just looked into her eyes. She could see it, see that he was trying to decide whether or not he believed what she had told him.

"I broke up with you, Dani. I have no right to know what you've done since then. It doesn't really matter what I think."

She couldn't let him do that. She needed him to know the truth. She couldn't stand to see that hurt that was definitely in his eyes. She didn't want to be the reason he looked that way.

"I didn't do anything Sam! I didn't. I just gave him my number. Hell, I don't even remember giving him my number. I didn't do anything with him. I didn't do anything with anyone, I swear."

"Dani, it's not my-"

"Believe me, Sam. I didn't do anything with anyone, not since you. I would never do that. I couldn't do that."

"Why not? We aren't together. You'd have nothing to feel guilty about if you did."

"But I didn't and you know why I didn't." She couldn't say the words, but she knew he understood what she meant.

Sam let out a sigh and nodded, patting her on her shoulder. "Are you thirsty or hungry?" he asked her with a warm smile, one that made her almost melt.

"Not really."

"Well, then I guess we'll need to find something else to do to kill time for the next fifty minutes or so."

She took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip. That was a good sign. Maybe Sam did believe her.

Poker was how they had spent the forty minutes until Sam had to go doing another injection. She mentioned to Sam that she could go with him, but he shook his head, telling her that if she went down there it would be like feeding the demon part of Dean. He'd just see her as fresh meat.

Dani agreed, wanting to be more helpful than anything else.

* * *

While playing poker, which Dani wasn't the best at, seeing as how it had been over a year since she last played, Sam filled her in on some of the cases he and Dean last worked before Dean turned. He filled her in on some of the hunters that she had disconnected herself from, like Garth and Jody.

The more she heard about them, the more guilty she felt for pushing them out of her life as if they meant nothing to her. She couldn't help but get misty eyed, thinking about all the friends that she could have been helping if she hadn't put her life on a break because she wanted to be selfish and throw herself a pity party.

Sam seemed to sense her discomfort and turned the topic towards something else. She appreciated the gesture, but it felt awkward no matter what they talked about, because there was a huge cloud of tension hovering over them. She knew that Sam wanted to talk about why she quit hunting, wanted to talk about everything that had happened between them, but he seemed to be biting his tongue.

She didn't want to ignore the topic; it was just that she didn't have a good explanation for why she gave up everything. She thought she did at one point, but she knew better now. She gave up because she felt like it was more important for her whine about how things didn't go the way she wanted them. She couldn't tell Sam that she had been weak and couldn't deal with her problems head on, like he and Dean always did.

It was embarrassing to her that she let one man change her world for so long. It wasn't right. She should have been more mature about the whole thing, but she hadn't been, and sooner or later she'd have to admit that to Sam.

Sam was in the middle of filling her in one what she had missed on Game of Thrones. She wasn't really interested, but she let Sam talk because that was better than the silence.

The alarm on Sam's phone went off, signaling that it was time for Dean's next injection. Sam turned off the alarm and gave Dani a sad smile as he stood up and made his way towards the dungeon.

She tapped on the table top and reached for her phone. She couldn't do anything while Sam was down there. She couldn't help him in anyway, so she needed to find something to distract herself, which came in the form of making herself a list—A list of all the things, she was going to change.

Her life was a mess and she could only blame herself. She needed a plan, a plan to get her life back in order and she was going to do it no matter how she felt about Sam. She couldn't let her heart run her life, not anymore.

The first thing that she needed to change was going to the bar to stop herself from feeling anything. She needed to be able to be sad and deal with it in a healthier way, and what was healthier than hunting? She could deal with her aggression and help people in the process. She missed hunting. She told herself that she didn't really like hunting, she did that because it made it easier to give it up, but the truth was that she loved hunting. She loved that she was doing something that helped not just a few people, but many, many more. She loved the purpose it gave her. Without it, she didn't know what her purpose in life could possibly be. It wasn't as if she was trained or even good at anything but hunting.

She was going to get back into hunting, she was going to get back in contact with all the hunters that she had missed over the last months. She was going to get back to being herself and she was going to do it as soon as she could.

The other big thing she wanted to change was how she reacted to her feelings for Sam. They scared her before, made it hard for her to be around him, but now she knew she could be around him without feeling a lot of pain. She needed to get used to being around him and treating him like she treated everyone else, even if she still loved him.

She needed to understand that just because she loved him and he seemed to feel the same way, or did at one point, that it didn't mean they had to be together. Sam didn't want to be with her and as much as that hurt her, she needed to accept it or else she would fall back into old patterns. Ones that she didn't want to go near again. They hadn't helped her get over Sam, so what was the point in starting it all up again?

She looked at the table and sighed at the pack of cigarettes in front of her. She shook her head at herself. She wasn't thrilled that she had picked up the habit again after Sam helped her kick it, but when she was weak and stressed, cigarettes called out her name and she always answered. She thought about picking them up and throwing them out, but she knew that quitting cold turkey didn't work for her. It would just be a symbolic gesture, one she wasn't ready to make.

Baby steps. That's the pace she would have to work at and she was oddly okay with taking her time to get her life back. She knew the time and hard work would be worth it in the end. Putting too much pressure on herself would just be a recipe for disaster.

She was going to go slow. One baby step at a time.

When Sam emerged into the library, her heart started racing, just like it always had when she saw him, but as soon as she saw the expression on his face, she frowned, wanting nothing more than to stand up and walk over to him and give him a hug, but she didn't do that and she hated herself from being such a coward.

Upon seeing her frown, Sam seemed to make himself smile, but she wasn't buying it for a second. It wasn't the genuine smile he used to make, the one that would make his whole face light up.

"Is he doing any better?"

The fake smile left his face. "He's talking less, so that's a plus in my book," Sam told her sitting down. "It's so strange being around him now, hearing him say that he doesn't want to be saved."

"Actually..." She shrugged. "That sounds a lot like him, Sam. He's the most stubborn and self-sacrificing man on the planet, apart from you, so it shouldn't be too surprising."

Sam nodded. "Maybe. I just thought things would be different. That he wouldn't like being a demon, but I guess that was stupid."

"Not stupid." She disagreed. "Just hopeful."

"Lot of good that's doing me, huh?"

She frowned. "Don't do that." she told him. "You aren't stupid, Sam. Dean's your brother. Of course you're going to go hope for the best. Nobody can blame you for that."

He looked at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Enough about all that. It's giving me a headache. Tell me about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, I mean, you know how my life's going. How's yours?" He asked, but then held up a finger. "I'm getting a beer first. Want one?"

"If you're going to make me talk about myself, you bet your ass I want a beer."

He smiled and it looked like an authentic Sam smile. "I'll be back."

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate it a lot.**


	5. Chapter 5

Sam was sitting on the edge of the table, staring at the beer in his hand with an indecipherable expression on his face.

"I know. It was stupid, but I guess I just didn't know how to deal, so I did something drastic, something that I thought would help, but all I was really doing was burying myself in a hole."

Dani kept her eyes off Sam as she talked. She'd kept her eyes from his as she filled him in on what her life had been like for the past few months. When he asked and made it clear that he wouldn't let her get out of talking about it, she decided to bite the bullet and tell him how pathetic she had really been.

"I understand wanting to take a break from hunting. Sometimes it's helpful to recharge your batteries."

"It wasn't a break, Sam. I gave up and just decided that everything, saving people, hunting monsters, wasn't as important as me sorting through my own problems." She understood Sam's reasoning behind taking breaks, but that wasn't what she was doing when she decided that nobody else mattered but her. "Which wouldn't have been so bad if I had actually tried to get over them, but I didn't. I just relied on alcohol to get me through to the next day, just so I could wake up, hungover and sick to my stomach, and then start the whole process over again."

Sam sighed and she saw a frown cover his face from the corner of her eye. "I didn't realize how bad things had gotten."

"All because I wanted to throw myself a pity party, but," she said, hoping to turn the conversation into a more hopeful one, "those days are over. I'm done doing that to myself. I don't like that version of me. She was weak and felt alone and I never want to feel like that again, so I'm done pitying myself. I just want my old life back. I want to hunt, I want to have people who I can talk to, you know?"

Sam nodded before a smirk pulled at his mouth. "Like Chris?"

She glared at him, but couldn't hide the small smile that played on her face. "Not exactly."

Sam smiled and sat down in the chair next to hers. "Seriously though. I want you to know that I'm happy that you realized that you are strong enough to get over whatever was eating you up."

Dani shook her head. He couldn't have been that naive, right?

"What was eating me up was you, Sam. After we broke up, that's when I went down that path and it's not like I'm blaming you, because I'm not, but I just..." she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just wanted you to know the truth. The whole truth."

"You stopped hunting because of me?" he asked and she wanted to smack him.

"No, I quit hunting because I was an immature, whiny brat who couldn't deal with her emotions."

Sam frowned. "I'm really sorry."

"You have nothing to feel sorry for Sam. You did what you had to do; there's no shame in that."

"But I hurt you."

"Yeah, but sometimes that happens, you know? Sometimes life hurts, but I'll get better. I'm not the first girl to get dumped, and I won't be the last either. I'll get past it."

"I hope so," he told her, before taking another drink of his beer.

Dani cleared her throat and shook her head as she found her eyes lingering on the way Sam's adam's apple bobbed as drank down his beer. She looked down to her hands and sighed.

"I'm glad I came and picked you up," Sam told her and she couldn't help but to agree with him. "Even though I didn't give you a lot of options."

She smiled. "We both know how stubborn I can be, Sam. If I didn't want to come along, I never would have left with you. Plus you needed help with Dean. I couldn't turn my back on something as important as that."

"That's true, I guess. I'm still glad you came with me."

"Me too." she told him, quietly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I kinda missed this."

"Missed what, exactly?" Sam asked and leaned closer, but not as close as she would have liked.

"Being in the bunker," she told him, biting her bottom lip. "Distracting you while you are working a case." She smirked.

Sam sent her a matching smirk. "You were always good at distractions."

"Of course. Sometimes distractions are needed in order to clear your mind."

Sam nodded. "Like right now." She agreed. "It's good to see you back in the bunker. After you left that night, at that motel, I thought you'd never be back here. I'm happy I was wrong, because honestly I've been going out of my mind here all by myself."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "I bet. That sounds awful."

"The worst part is that I couldn't watch Game of Thrones all that much, not that it would have kept my attention anyway."

She nodded and rolled her eyes. Sam and his love of shows that she didn't understand.

"Just so you know, I was only partially listening to you early when you were trying to catch me up to where you are."

"Why just partially?" he questioned.

She froze up, forgetting for just a moment that Sam wasn't aware of how much she hated that show.

"Um, well..." She shrugged. "I never really liked that show."

Sam's eyes widened as he looked her in the eyes. "You don't?"

She shook her head. "Sorry."

"Why didn't ever tell me?"

"Because you liked it and it was part of my job as your girlfriend to suffer in silence, which wasn't all that horrible, so don't feel bad."

"You lied to me?"

"No, I just withheld information from you."

Sam's lips formed a smile and she smiled back, feeling good that she could make him feel just a little bit less lousy.

"Anything else that you withheld from me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in on her.

She bit her bottom lip and pretended to think real hard. "Remember how I couldn't fall asleep unless the TV was on all night?" Sam nodded, urging her to continue. "That was a lie, the truth is that you snore a lot in your sleep, so sometimes I would turn on the TV, just to drown out the very loud noise."

He sat up straight in the chair. "Wow." He chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry, but I gotta say, I don't miss your snoring at all, Sam." She looked at him, a little worried that he would take her joke to heart, like she was saying that she didn't miss him, but she saw him smile and knew that he hadn't.

"Sorry to be such a pain in your ass."

She shrugged. "You made up for it."

"Really, how so?"

"Breakfast in bed was always enough to make me forgot that just hours earlier, I wanted to smother you with a pillow."

He laughed and grabbed the deck of card, idling shuffling them. "That's good to know, I guess, but was my cooking skills the only good thing about me?"

She wanted to scoff at him, but she didn't. "No, in fact, you were good at quite a few things," she told him, not meeting his eyes, because she knew the implication in her words and it almost made her want to cringe at how awkward she had made things between them.

"Yeah, so were you," he told her, not even trying to pretend that he wasn't looking right at her. She felt her cheeks burn and cleared her throat and shaking her head a little.

"So anything you withheld from me?" she asked, knowing that while their conversation was anything, but riveting, she knew that it was helping to distract him.

"You sure you wanna pull on that thread?"

"Sure. Fire away."

"I always hated," he stopped making eye contact with her, "the scent of your shampoo."

"Really?" she giggled. That wasn't so bad. "What's wrong with it?"

"Too fruity. It was like I was sleeping next to a human-sized pineapple."

She smiled and nodded her head. "Okay, well, is that all or is there more?"

"Unlike me, you aren't a great cook."

"That is not news to me, but you always ate the food that I made for you and told me it was amazing."

"I lied." He shrugged with a smile, making her giggle again.

"Wow." She shook her head. "Should have said something."

"I was just doing my job as your boyfriend, but I almost told you several times that your spaghetti and meatballs were undercooked. And you should also know that Dean hated your apple and pecan pies, but never said anything because I would bribe him."

It was silent for a few moments, before they both began to laugh and although the laughter didn't last for long, it still made Dani feel better than she had in months.

"Well I promise never to cook you guys food ever again."

"And I promise that we won't be disappointed," Sam said, dealing out cards.

"What game are we playing?"

"Go Fish, duh."

She bit the inside of her cheek and tried to keep her expression neutral, but it wasn't easy, especially when Sam knew that Go Fish was the card game they we were playing when she and Sam shared their first kiss.

Dani played a few hands, before Sam got up and stretched, pulling his phone from his pocket. "I should get back down there."

She nodded shuffling the cards. "It's the last one, right?"

"Yeah, but I just want to get down there and try and talk to him again. See if the injections are actually working on him. I'll be back once it's done though." He turned to leave, but stopped. "FYI, Cas could be showing up at any minute."

Dani found herself smiling. She'd missed Cas a lot.

"I haven't seen him in so long. How is he?"

"Not great, but he's strong. You know Cas, he'll pull through," he told her with a smile, but she wasn't sure if Sam was trying to convince her of it or himself.

"Good," she said, with a nod, not wanting to keep Sam from the job that awaited him.

He gave her one last smile before leaving the room, but going in another direction, not near the dungeon. She wondered where he was going, but she quickly figured it didn't matter. What did matter was that she was proud of herself for the first time in a while.

She smiled, proud of herself that she was able to have a real conversation with Sam. She'd forgotten that she didn't need to worry about sharing things with Sam, because he wasn't the type to judge her and she should've known that the only person who could judge her the most was herself, certainly not Sam.

While waiting for Sam to return, she decided to try and clean up as much as she could. Sam had apparently been trying to find every single thing he could in order to find Dean, because books were laid all over the other table in the room, along with some glasses. She couldn't blame him. Alcohol did take the edge off.

She gathered the books and walked around, trying to figure where their correct spot was, but she couldn't figure out the system Sam used for organizing all the books they inherited from the Men of Letters, so she decided to just place them in a neat pile on a small table next to one of the bookshelves. Sam would figure out where they went later.

She gathered the many glasses and made her way towards the kitchen. Once inside she began doing the dishes, the whole time planning out what she was going to do once Dean was cured and his normal, human self again.

She was just finishing up her last glass, when she heard footsteps headed towards her. She figured it was Sam, so she turned around the glass still in her hand. She hoped he'd be back with good news.

But Sam wasn't the one who had approached her; it wasn't even Cas. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat when her eyes landed on his bright green ones.

* * *

 **I know this was a short chapter, but it needed to be. The next one will be a little longer. Let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

For a second she was confused and thought that maybe it was Dean, the real Dean, but she quickly found out that wasn't the truth once his eyes flicked to black and a haunting smirk covered his face.

She didn't think her heart could beat so fast.

"Didn't think I'd find you all alone, but can't say that I'm not happy about it."

She couldn't figure it out. What happened? How did he get loose? Her breathing increased when she briefly wondered if he would he hurt Sam. She nodded to herself. Of course he would, especially if Sam went after him, which sounded all too much like Sam.

She looked at the Demon in front of her and asked the only question she could bear to ask. "How'd you get loose?"

He moved closer and she backed away instinctively, even though she was blocked from moving any further because of the counter digging into her back. "Those handcuffs only work on demons. Sam's been injecting me with human blood and I guess it's working, because I slipped right out of them and the devil's trap."

She didn't know what to say, so she opted for saying nothing and moved away from the counter to put even more steps between her and the demon who was moving closer. "Where's Sam?"

"You're scared, but you don't need to be. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Where's Sam?" she repeated.

"Beats me. I thought he'd be with you, but I guess he just doesn't care about your well being as much as I thought."

She shook her head. That wasn't true. This was just an evil dick talking.

"Don't worry, you can come with me; I'll treat you just the way you need and want to be treated." She twisted her face in disgust and moved away. The demon laughed. "Really, you're gonna play hard to get? Okay," he nodded. "I can't say I don't love a challenge."

Before Dean could make another move, Dani made hers, running as fast as her legs would let her to the other side of the kitchen. She was nearly three feet from the threshold and she knew that if she didn't leave now, Dean would catch her and she had no idea what he'd do to her when he did.

She darted off and part of her knew she only got away because he let her. Once she was out of the kitchen she didn't know where to hide, where Dean wouldn't be able to find her. He knew the layout of the bunker better than anyone.

"Cat and mouse, it is! I'm only going to give you a few seconds head start, so you might want to make the most of them!"

Why was he giving her a head start? Was that him talking or the real Dean talking? She ran through the bunker, wanting get to the bunker's entrance, but she stopped herself. She couldn't leave, not yet—not until she knew that Sam was safe.

She was darting through the bunker, ashamed that she didn't have some kind of a weapon in her possession. Giving up hunting was really coming back to bite her on the ass. She ran down a long hallway towards Sam's room. She knew the pathway like the back on her hand. She remembered Sam coming this way and she hoped that meant that he was in his room.

When she darted through the doorway, pushing the door open with too much force, all she found was an empty room. Dread washed over her. Where was he? Was Dean lying to her? Did he know where Sam was? Did he have him locked up somewhere or worse?

She ran out of the room, looking both ways and seeing no one in sight. This wasn't good. She didn't know where Sam was and she didn't know when Dean would suddenly pop into view. She didn't know where to go, but she knew that she couldn't stay in one place.

Chances were Dean had heard her when she slammed Sam's door wide open and that meant he was probably on his way to get her. She rushed down the hallway, trying to be as quick and quiet as humanly possible, but that was difficult given how terrified she was. As much as she knew that the real Dean would never harm her, that didn't help with it came to the black eyed being.

While racing down one of the hallways, she heard Dean's voice. It instantly made her freeze.

"I can smell you, Sweetheart. You're not gonna win this game, so why don't you just come out and give me what I want?"

What did he want? She asked herself. What could she give him, besides her own life? She kept walking, moving further away from his voice, silently praying that she was eventually cross paths with Sam, before Dean caught up to her.

Suddenly it was pitch dark, but only for a second, before the red emergency lights lit up the hallway. Had someone cut the power? Was it Dean? She could practically feel her heart beating out of her chest as she tried to make her way through the bunker.

She walked carefully, having to walk instead of run, thanks to the lack of lighting. She kept turning her head, looking behind her, making sure that she was still alone.

Please, Sam! Please be somewhere close! I need you. She continued her path, reaching the end of the hallway and turning, running into something warm and solid, almost making her topple over, but before she could, strong arms wrapped around her. She shrieked, fearing the worse, but stopped when she caught whiff of the mystery man's cologne.

"Sam?"

"Shh," he quietly whispered. "No talking. Just follow me." He pulled her through the hallways, taking her to an area of the bunker that she wasn't familiar with.

"Stay here," he told her when he ushered her into a small room.

"Sam, where are you going?"

"Out there. I have to get Dean."

"Alone?"

"Yes, alone," he whispered, helping her sit down on a chair that was behind a desk. "Stay here. I'll come find you when it's all done."

"Sam what if he hurts you or worse? You can't go out there." she pleaded with him. "You can't."

"I have to. If I don't he'll eventually get out and I can't have that. He's almost cured, so I have to do this. I have to save him."

She couldn't just watch him walk out of the room, into the darkness, not knowing whether or not if she would ever see him again.

"Let me help you."

He instantly shook his head. "No, you can't be out there. It's too dangerous."

"It's dangerous for you too. Sam, I can't let you do this alone, I won't. Let me help, let me help you both, please."

Sam hung his head and then the lights were back on.

"Shit." Sam cursed. "He's going to try and escape."

Dani stood from the chair and walked over to him. "Then let's stop him."

"How?"

"He said that he wanted me, so let me help, by distracting him."

"How would you do that?"

"Talking to him. I'll try and convince him to stay, while you turn off the power again."

"Then what?"

"I'll lead him back to your room and then you can meet us there, hopefully Cas will show up before you get the power off."

"Dani, I don't want you anywhere near him."

"We don't have a lot time, Sam. We have to do this. We have to try."

Sam sighed and shook his head. "I can't let you do this, Dani, I just can't."

"Sam, I-"

Dani cut herself off when she noticed a figure in the doorway. Her heart pounded and she felt Sam's arm wrap around her waist, tugging her behind him.

She let out a sigh when she noticed the figure was Cas, not Dean.

"Cas, man, finally," Dani muttered.

"Dean's loose, Cas. We have to get to him before he escapes."

Cas nodded and closed his eyes. "He's still here; I can sense him. Let's go."

Dani moved past Sam and he grabbed her arm. "You're staying put."

"Sam,"

"If you're out there, I'll be distracted and not in a good way. Please just stay here." She wanted to argue and Sam must have sensed it before he cupped her cheek, making her meet his gaze. "I'm not going to budge on this. You're staying here. I'll come get you later."

"Sam, I can't just-" Sam quieted her by pressing his lips to her cheek.

"Stay here," he ordered, but then added in a soft voice. "I love you."

She stayed frozen in her spot, too shocked to move. Not only did he kiss her cheek, but he'd also said the three words that made her want to cry. He loved her.

He still loved her after so much time had passed, after hearing about how pathetic she had been when they went their separate ways. She didn't understand it, but she was more than thankful that Sam could still love her after so much time had passed. Of course it shouldn't have been so hard for her to believe that he could feel that way, because even though he had broken her heart, she still loved him.

She stayed in the small room, hoping that everything would be okay and that with Cas being there it would make things easier on Sam. As much as she wanted all her attention to be on Sam and Cas finding and catching Dean, she couldn't help but find herself touching the spot Sam's lips had touched.

She bit her lip, remembering his words. He told her that he loved her and as great as it felt hearing it, she couldn't help but think that he said it because he thought he might never get another chance. That thought alone brought on the tears that she'd been trying to keep at bay.

She sat in the chair, rocking herself as tears streamed down her face. She wanted to keep calm, but she couldn't, not when they were all in danger. If Dean got loose, Sam might never find him again. Dani didn't know if Dean had killed any innocent people while being a demon, but it didn't matter. He couldn't be allowed to roam free.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed in the room, rocking herself back and forth, hoping and praying that everything would be okay, that Sam and Cas would be safe and that Dean would be cured.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, because when she woke up she was no longer in that room, she was laying on a bed with a blanket pulled over her. She sat up and looked around the room, nothing looking too familiar, but she knew that she was in one of the rooms in the bunker. They all had the same look to them.

She was confused and worried. Confused because she didn't remember falling asleep or leaving the room at all and worried because she didn't know what was going on.

Had Sam and Cas caught Dean and cured him? Or was she going to have to have to find Sam and hear him tell her that Dean had escaped? She threw her legs over the edge of the bed and despite her current emotional state, she couldn't deny that the rest she had gotten was the best she'd had in a long time. Maybe because she was waking up sober for the first time in far too long.

She walked out in the hallway and was greeted by nobody; complete silence filled the hallway. It terrified her to think that she could possibly find Sam hurt or worse around any corner that she decided to take, but she needed to find him as soon as she could, so she pushed down her anxiety and pushed herself to move faster.

Just as she rounded to the corner walking into the war room, just off of the library she heard voices, but they were so hushed that it was hard not only to make out what was being said, but who was saying it. She moved slower than she had been and carefully peeked into the library, seeing Cas' face, he looked worried as he talked to Sam. She could only see the back of him, but that didn't stop her heart from pounding in her chest.

She stepped out into view and Cas' eyes found hers and he gave her a smile, before Sam turned around to face her. She carefully moved forward and Sam walked to her meeting her halfway as Cas seemed to take off in another direction.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. "The real question is, how are you?" she asked, checking him over with her eyes. He didn't seem to be any more injured than he was before, which she was thankful for.

"I'm good. We caught Dean."

Her eyes widened. "Really? How is he? Did the injections work? Is he okay?"

Sam gave her a small smile and nodded. "The injections worked, Dean, he...he's cured." he said and she could tell by his slight laugh that he was more relieved than he was going to show her.

She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face and she didn't want to. "He's fine?"

"Seems to be. You know, given everything, I think he's doing as good as can be expected."

"Good." She sighed happily. "I knew you would do it. I knew you'd find a way to save him."

He looked at her with a look of amusement. "How could you have possibly known that?"

"Because it's you, Sam. I don't underestimate you when it comes to saving the people you love, especially Dean."

He smiled at little and then looked around the bunker, biting his lip. "Well, Dean's hungry, so I'm going to go grab some food for us, you going to be back here when I get back?"

Oh shit. Did he want her to stay? She really wasn't sure what to do with herself, she didn't really think of a game plan for herself once Dean was cured. Panic settled in her chest. Where would she go? She took a deep breath and stared Sam in the eyes. One baby step at a time, she reminded herself. "Do you want me to be?"

He smirked and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

She nodded. "Okay, then I'll be here."

Sam ran his fingers through his hair and then smiled at her. "He's in his room, you know. I'm not going to force you to do anything, but I think he'd like to see you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I mean he asked about you. Asked if you were okay and if I thought you would ever forgive him for being such a dick."

She shook her head with a laugh. "Why wouldn't I?" She definitely wanted to see him now. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him to ask you."

She nodded. "Well, I'll go see him, then."

Sam nodded and turned to leave, but stopped.

"Dani?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Sam, I didn't do anything. You did this, not me. Just you and Cas."

"I'm just thanking you for being here. I owe you a lot."

"No, you don't. Dean's like family to me, you know, I was glad to be here, even if I didn't really help him too much."

"You helped me."

She looked at him for a moment, remembering their last interaction. Sam being more determined than ever to keep her safe, getting her in a safe place, kissing her cheek to comfort her, telling her that he loved her. It suddenly got hotter in the room as she remembered the way his lips felt as they briefly touched her skin, they way his voice sounded so sweet and soft as he told her that he loved her.

She looked away from him, not wanting to get too caught up in the moment.

"I'm glad I could," she told him, taking a step back. "See you when you get back."

Sam nodded and then turned to leave, taking the heat that was in the room with him. Dani took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts before going to see Dean. She waited a few minutes after Sam left, before she made her way towards Dean's room.


	7. Chapter 7

She couldn't wait to see Dean. Even though she was playing a game of cat and mouse with him not so long ago, it felt like she hadn't seen him in so long. She missed him a lot.

She knew how Dean was, how his brain worked, and it didn't surprise her that he was already taking blame for everything that happened in the past six months. She was going to make it her first priority to make sure that he knew that she didn't see him any differently than she had before he got turned.

He was Dean Winchester to her, that's all. She didn't even have to see him to know that she'd forgiven him completely. He wasn't being himself, so how could she fault him? If she or Sam had been turned, they probably would have been the same way.

When she got to his room, she stopped and took a deep breath. Just because she wanted to see him didn't mean he was ready for visitors. She quietly knocked and stood back a couple of steps. A few seconds later the door opened and Dean was on other side of it.

He looked at her for a moment, almost looking a little happy that she was there, but then his eyebrows pushed together. She took a moment to look into his eyes, his very green eyes, and thanked her lucky stars that they wouldn't be turning black ever again.

"Hey, Dean," she said, knowing that she'd have to make the first steps towards having a conversation.

His eyes narrowed on her for a moment, before his lips pursed together. Dani was confused. Sam made it seem like Dean wanted to see her. Was that a lie?

"What are you doing here? I thought you would have left, you know, after Sam told you how everything went." Dean almost sounded upset by that fact that Dani was standing in front of him, trying to talk to him. She shook her head at his words.

"I'm not going anywhere, not yet, at least. I wanted to come and see you."

"Why?"

"Because you're back, Dean. I wanted to come see my friend."

"Your friend?" he questioned with a laugh, letting his bitterness be known. "I seem like a friend to you?"

"You always have been before. You also have always been nice and offered to let me into your room."

Dean shook his head, looking exhausted. "Why do you even want to talk to me, to see me?"

"Because I feel like we need to clear the air."

Dean shrugged. "Clear the air? Okay, how do we do that?"

"We clear it by me saying that I forgive you for being a huge dick to me and for chasing me around the bunker. I don't even know why I would have to forgive you, you didn't do anything wrong in the first place, but you're Dean Winchester, so that means that you have to blame yourself, even for things that you didn't do."

"Dani-"

"I wasn't hurt, Dean. You had a moment in the kitchen to hurt me, but you didn't, you even let me get away."

"What if I-"

"What if? Really, you wanna play that game? Why? It doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that you are back and that you know that I don't hate you, that I don't see you differently. Sure, seeing you with black eyes was a little frightening, but like I said, I wasn't harmed, so how could I possibly hate you? It wasn't even the whole you, anyway, just the dark part of you."

"The dark part of me wanted to hurt you, Dani."

"But you didn't, Dean. You didn't hurt me at all. As for whatever else took place while you were out of Sam's grasp, well, I don't know what to tell you, you'll have to work through that at your own pace. I just want you to know that you and I… we are completely fine."

"Even after what I said to you?"

"That I was pathetic?"

He nodded, not willing to look directly at her.

"I know you wouldn't have said that, but part of you did, and while at the time it hurt, I realized later that you weren't exactly lying. I was being pathetic." Dean's looked up and shook his head, like he was going to disagree, but she didn't like him. "The truth was that I was pathetic, but I'm not going to be that way anymore, and I guess I actually owe you a thank you for making me realize that I needed to make a change."

"You've have to be kidding. Thank me? No, Dani, what I said was wrong, I should have never said it to you, especially when I could see how…" Dean stopped talking and then looked down.

"Could see what a mess I am? It's okay, you can say it. You wouldn't be lying."

"I was going to say that I could see that life hadn't been treating you well."

She grinned. "Well, you aren't wrong, but that doesn't matter. You said some stuff that affected me and now I'm going to be making some changes. That's a good thing, right?"

"I guess. I'm just upset that I was so callous towards you, towards everyone."

"I'll survive and so will they." She smiled. "So will you, you just need to take some time, you know?"

He nodded, but didn't say anything else on the matter. Dean backed into his room and walked over to his bed, tossing some items of clothing around. "So you and Sam are talking again, huh?"

"Yeah, thanks to you." She let out a small laugh. "He came out of nowhere and told me that I needed to help him."

"And you did, just like that?" Dean asked. "Last thing I heard concerning you was that you weren't checking in with other hunters. Thought something happened to you."

"I was just being stupid, but no surprise there, huh?" She smirked and shook her head.

"So since you're back, does that mean that you and Sam are-"

"We aren't going to get back together or anything, but we can have civil conversations now, so I guess that's a start."

"That's awesome."

Dani smiled a little at hearing the word "awesome" leave Dean's mouth. That was his favorite word to use and just hearing it, reminded her of her friend. She was glad to have him back.

"Yeah." She nodded before leaning against the doorjamb and watched Dean sort through his items. "Sam told me that you were already whining for food."

Dean laughed a little. "Like you wouldn't believe."

Dani giggled back. "Do you think Sam will remember the pie?"

She had never had such good food in what felt like her entire life. Mostly because she hadn't had real food in a long time. She mostly just snacked on things, like candy bars and chips that she would buy at gas stations. She hadn't even realized how much she missed fast food until the first onion ring entered her mouth.

After that first taste, she couldn't believe how she went so long without it. Her stomach growled and it was so loud that it caught the attention of the two other men sitting across the table from her. She blushed a little, but then decided that she couldn't be bothered and continued eating. Occasionally, she would look up and see Sam looking at her with an amused grin on his face.

She just hunched her shoulders and went back to eating. She made a mental note to never go so long without having onion rings and burgers ever again as her body thanked her for giving it what it had needed for so long.

Once every piece of food was gone in front of her, she looked over to see Dean eating none other than a piece of pie, a small smile rested on his face as he enjoyed himself. Dani smiled to herself and then looked over at Sam who was looking at her. She smiled to him before starting to clear the mess that she had made in front of her.

As she walked into the kitchen to throw away her garbage, she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around and saw Sam, carrying some of his trash too. When she entered the kitchen she threw out her stuff.

"You seemed to enjoy your food," Sam commented after throwing his stuff away too.

"Yeah, I hadn't had food that great in a long time."

"Good." He smiled.

"Dean seemed to be enjoying his pie."

"When hasn't he?" Sam asked and then leaned against the counter behind him. "So, what now? What's your next step?"

Dani shrugged. "Well I know that I want to get back into the hunting game, not sure where to even start though, but I'll figure it out. I guess right now, the plan is to go find a room at a motel and start calling old contacts and I see what I can get into."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Dean and I are probably going to take a break you know, just until he clears his head a little."

"That would be a good idea, although, I don't expect him to stay out of commission for too long."

"Yeah, trust me, I know, but we can't rush anything." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, you don't think you should take a break, too?"

"A break from what? I've been on a break for far too long, Sam. It's time for me to start doing something with my life, besides wasting it."

"Well, don't you think you should take some baby steps, first?"

"I will. I just don't want to keep not doing anything, I need to start doing something, anything really."

Sam nodded, still looking like he wanted to disagree and took a deep breath. "Maybe you could stay here, while you figure it all out."

"Stay here?"

"Yeah, I mean, you know the benefits of staying here, right? Space, lots of books for researching purposes and more of the amazing food you just had."

Dani was all too aware of the professional benefits that came with living in the bunker, but she was more worried about staying in a close proximity to her ex.

"It wouldn't be weird for you, if I was here?"

He seemed to understand what she meant, but still shook his head. "No. Would it be weird for you?"

She didn't know how to answer that question. True, she had been able to be near him for the last 24 hours, but that hardly meant that she could live with him without there being any problems. She wanted to move on. She wanted to get her life back on track, but she wasn't sure if she should try to push it, by trying too many things at once.

"I don't know."

"We could try it out, you know, like a trial basis. If it becomes weird for either of us, we can deal with it then. Sounds reasonable, right?"

She wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea if she told him she didn't want to stay because of him. She didn't want him to think that she wanted to avoid him now that Dean was back to his old self.

"Are you sure? I mean, Dean just got cured. Do you think now is the best time for there to be another person living here?"

"Dean won't care, Dani. He's used to you being here. It's the safest place for a hunter, so I don't think he'd want to kick you to the curb." Dani bit her lip and Sam sighed. "Look, this is your decision, I just want you to know that if you want it, there's a room here for you."

"I appreciate it, I really do, but I don't know. I feel like I might need to be on my own while I'm trying to get things back in order, you know. I think it would be best for now if I went at it alone for a bit." She knew that wasn't what Sam wanted to hear, when he put his head down and sighed, but he didn't argue with her about it. "But I wouldn't mind having a place to pop into from time to time, though. Would that be okay?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Sam's eyes snapped to hers. "That's more than okay." he smirked. "Anytime you need a place, you got it." he smiled.

"Thanks." She gave him a tight smile. "So does that mean I can stay tonight?"

Sam let out a laugh. "Yeah, I think that would be alright."

"Good," she said and then quickly added, "but don't worry, I won't cook breakfast in the morning."

"I'm glad to hear that, but maybe I could be the one fixing the breakfast."

Dani nodded to herself. It felt good knowing that although she and Sam weren't back together, she hadn't lost him completely out of her life, like she once thought she had. If she were being honest with herself, she guessed she'd rather have him in her life as a friend, than not at all and he apparently felt the same considering the way he couldn't seem to stop smiling. "I won't object to that."

"Let's go break the news to Dean, shall we?"

She nodded and followed him out of the bunker. While on their way back to Dean, who was probably still eating every last bit of pie in front of him, Dani asked Sam about hooking her up with some numbers. When she quit hunting, she'd deleted most of her contacts and friends from her life.

She was going to get those numbers back and she was going to get her life back as well.

* * *

 **This is mostly wrapped up. I have an epilogue yet to post that I hope you will enjoy. Let me know what you think! Thanks for the reviews and follows. It has meant a lot to me!**


	8. Chapter 8

Dani paced her room, trying to figure out how she was going to make it through the night. It all seemed too daunting, but it was something that she really wanted and she'd hate herself forever if she backed out of it.

She walked back and forth, taking deep breaths and running her hands down the material covering her sides. Lace to be exact. She hadn't been in a dress in years, but it felt good to switch it up from her normal style, even if this new style involved heels.

While making sure her necklace was on straight and that her hair looked as perfect as she could get it, someone cleared their throat from her doorway. She jumped a little, since she was already a mess of nerves and saw Dean leaning in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

She smiled and then held out her arms. "Thoughts?"

"Yeah, don't go on this date, Dani. Just call him up, tell him that you are sick or something and just stay home. You're too good for him anyway."

Dani smiled and rolled her eyes. "Like that would be possible. I meant the dress. How's it look?"

"On you? Flawless. And trust me, I've seen a lot ladies in a lot of dresses, so I know a thing or two."

"I'm sure you do," she said, rolling her eyes. "So, how's he doing?"

"Do I tell you a lie or embarrass the hell out of Sam...I'm so torn," Dean muttered as he pretended to have an inner debate. "He's just as nervous as you appear to be. Don't know why, though, this isn't exactly a first date, you know?"

"True, but it's still a big step."

"You'll figure it out. You guys are like Romeo and Juliet, you know, but without the stupid dialect and tragedy."

"Nice save." Dani snorted and then walked over to grab her purse. "Seriously, do you think Sam and I are making a mistake by doing this?"

Dean pushed himself forward and walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Hell no," he told her when she looked into his eyes. "If you ask me, he should never let you go and should be thanking every damn higher being that he's getting another chance with you."

Dani smiled and then leaned forward to kiss Dean on his cheek. "You know just what to say, Dean."

"Yep, it's a gift."

Dani and Dean walked down the hallway, talking about what Dean would be doing while he had the bunker all to himself, which only included sleep. They had been working a lot of cases recently, so all Dean wanted was to catch up on sleep, since he hadn't been getting much of because of his recurring nightmares, which Dean said was getting better.

When they entered the library, Sam was leaning against the table with a book in his hands, but Dani could tell he wasn't really reading it, he just needed something in his hands. Dani smiled to herself, while Dean snorted and then walked in before her.

Sam dropped the book onto the table behind him and then looked at Dani. They briefly shared a smile, before Dean cleared his throat and began to speak to Sam.

"Alright, young man, what you are your intentions with my Dani? I hope you intend to treat her with the respect she deserves, if not, just know that I have a gun on my person."

Dani and Sam shared a look, before looking back to Dean, rolling their eyes at the same time.

"What?" Dean asked, clearly offended.

Sam sidestepped Dean and walked over to Dani, holding his hand out. She immediately latched her hand to his and they started walking out. She smiled up at him and he smiled back down. Her nerves were slowly fading away and was replaced with excitement for what was yet to come of the night ahead of them.

"Alright, alright. I get it." Dean called out from behind them. "I get it, but on a serious note, I hope that you guys have a hell of a night. If any two people deserve it, it's you," Dean said and Dani looked down at him from the top of the stairs. Her jaw dropped a little at how genuine his voice was. "Also, Sammy, don't have her back any later than midnight, or you and I will have to have a discussion about that gun I already mentioned."

Sam sighed and kept walking dragging Dani behind him, who was more than willing to flee.

She smiled down at Dean and he smiled and winked back.

Once they were out of the bunker and walking towards the car, Sam turned to her, stopping their movements. "In case tonight, for whatever reason, doesn't go as planned, I was hoping I could go ahead and go for the goodnight kiss part."

"On our first date? What kind of girl do you take me for?" she asked, a smile playing on her face. Sam chuckled and then cupped her cheek.

Dani stretched to the tips of her toes, meeting Sam halfway. Their lips met and Dani sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. It felt as if no time had passed since they last kissed, nearly a year before. Sam must have felt the same, because he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

The kiss deepened and she found herself pouring more and more of herself into the kiss, savoring every movement and every taste. Kissing Sam was always a bit difficult to stop, because his lips were always so smooth and warm, that they literally begged to be kissed.

Her fingers tangled in his long locks as his tongue delved deep into her mouth, making a soft moan exit the back of her throat. Sam slid his warm, capable hands down the side of her dress and then drug them back up until he was cupping her face in his hands.

Unfortunately the kiss ended and it left them both trying to collect air for their lungs. He stroked her cheek as their breathing evened out. "Glad I got the chance to do that." he told her, before laying another kiss to her lips. That time it was a lot shorter and sweet.

"Me too. Thanks for being so smart and thinking ahead."

"Thanks for saying yes, when I asked you out."

"Thanks for asking." She smiled and Sam grabbed her hand, finishing their walk to his car. He opened up the car door for her and she immediately wanted to forget the date and pull him back into the bunker, because he was being far too sweet and, combined with that toe-curling kiss, he was just too much to resist, but she knew that Sam wanted to go on this date, because they were never really to go on actual dates before, so this was a big moment and she didn't want to take that away from either one of them.

As Sam got in the driver's side, started the car and took off down the road, Dani's mind wandered to the night before, when Sam surprised her by asking her out on a real date.

It had been four months since she had began hunting again. Things were going well for her. Once she dug herself a little bit out of the hole, it only got easier and easier as they time went. Her first hunt wasn't a smooth one, but that was to be expected. She only walked away with minor scratches and bloody lip.

Things were better each time she found a new case, or helped out someone else on an existing case. She had worked with Trevor a couple of times, met up with Jody once and Garth as well. She enjoyed getting to meet up with them, helping them out and playing catch up. Jody and Garth both made her promise not fall off the map again and Dani was determined more than ever that she wouldn't be going anywhere. Being a hunter was part of who she was and she didn't want to lose that again.

Two months after hunting on a regular basis, Dani got a phone call from Dean, asking her for her help with research on some new unidentified creature. She was more than happy to help in any way that she could, which she did.

After their hunt was over Dean called, thanked her, and made her promise to come see them soon. A week later she was at the bunker and actually ended up staying and working a few cases alongside the Winchester brothers. She enjoyed getting to spend time with Dean, who she worried about a little too much, according to Dean and she also enjoyed building a new and more steady friendship with Sam.

She still had feelings for him, but it got easier and easier as the days went by to spend time with him just as a friend and not seeing him as just her ex. Sam and Dean took a little break and asked Dani to stay with them at the bunker for a bit. She'd been working hard, so she thought a little break would be helpful.

Weeks went by, which was filled with lots of good memories being made and lots of relaxation. She loved every minute of it, but then a familiar itch sat in and before they knew it all three of them were working another case.

Dani noticed on their most recent hunt that something was a little off with Sam and Dean, in particular, Sam. Whenever she would walk into a room, in which Sam and Dean had been talking, they would immediately stop, while doing some research Dani noticed a handful of times that Sam's eyes were on her. Whenever she would sense Sam was looking, she'd look back, just in time to see Sam's eyes dart downward and a pink tent would brighten his cheeks.

She tried not to read into it, but she couldn't help herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't figure out what was going on. She had long ago given up on Sam ever wanting more than just being her friend, so the thought of him acting weird, because he was debating whether or not to ask her out had never entered her head.

After finishing the case, Dani and Dean were in the kitchen, sharing a "job well done" beer, when Sam walked in and asked Dean if he could speak to Dani alone. Dean had winked at Dani, before he left the room.

Sam had been so nervous that it was downright adorable. He had shifted from foot to foot, stammered over his words and blushed like a schoolgirl.

Finally he had told her that he hadn't been able to get her out of his head, and that he didn't want to. He told her that he enjoyed being around her so much and liked hunting with her again. She agreed immediately, because she loved spending time with him and hunting together was just the cherry on top.

And then Sam did the unthinkable. He looked her straight in the eyes, cheeks burning red and asked her out, telling her that it would be an actual date.

Surprising to the both of them, Dani answered almost as soon as the words had left Sam's mouth. She nodded enthusiastically and practically yelled 'yes" into the air.

Sam smiled, obviously feeling relieved and it was more than obvious that neither one of them could wait.

Dani smiled when she looked down and noticed that Sam was now holding her hand, she hadn't even noticed at first. She squeezed his fingers with hers and looked over, to find Sam looking back at her, his hazel eyes, stunning her.

Sam was perfect. That's all there was to that.

Sam pulled into the restaurant parking lot and walked around the car to help her out. "Hope you're hungry." he whispered in her ear.

"Definitely." She smiled and once again Sam's hand was holding hers. She knew she could get used to everything with him. She could get used to the small touches, the smiles, the kisses, going out on dates, and she could get used to seeing Sam blush. She hoped that their second first date would be the start of many more dates, but she knew that she couldn't get too far ahead of herself. Sam didn't owe her anything, so if this was just a one time deal, she'd have to understand that and be okay with just moving on.

All throughout dinner, Sam couldn't seem to focus on anything other than her. His eyes rarely left hers and he almost seemed determined to keep a smile on her face no matter what, which proved to be possible for him. Dani couldn't remember when she had last smiled and laughed so much, but of course smiling and laughing always came easily with Sam around.

"This has been the best meal I've eaten in...forever. Please don't tell Dean, I don't want him to think I hate his cooking."

Sam smiled. "Secret's safe with me." he smiled and called the waiter for the check. "So you had a good time?" he asked.

"The best. I haven't felt this relaxed and happy in a long time."

"Mission accomplished," Sam said, just as the waiter approached the table.

On the way back to the car, Sam wrapped his arm around Dani's shoulder. "Think you might want to try something like this again sometime?"

"Already asking me on a second date when the first one isn't even over yet?"

"What can I say? I know what I want and I'm not afraid of it anymore."

Dani looked up at him and smiled as he walked her to the passenger side of the car. "Good. I guess another date wouldn't be all that bad." She joked and nudged Sam's side.

Sam leaned down and cupped her cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"If I hadn't been such an idiot, we wouldn't even need to go on a first date."

"Sam-" Dani tried to protest.

"No, listen, I was scared then and I handled things so poorly, I hurt you and I will never forgive myself for being so careless with you. I'm not scared anymore of what will or could happen in the future. I just know that this is what I want. I don't want to screw this up again."

"You won't."

"Hope so."

"I know so. I have faith in you."

"Even after what I put you through?"

"I put myself through that, not you, but that's all in the past."

"How can you be so forgiving?"

Because I love you, you idiot.

"Because I know you Sam, I know that you are never going to do anything that will intentionally hurt me. You got scared and did what you thought was best. You're only human, Sam."

Sam stroked my cheek and smiled. "I thought I lost you forever. Didn't think this would ever be possible for us again."

"You haven't lost me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good, because neither am I."

Sam leaned down, closing the distance between them. The kiss was perfect. It was sweet and slow. Their lips moved in perfect synchronicity, their bodies were pressed together, their arms wrapped around each other. It was perfect.

Sam pulled away, albeit reluctantly. "Should get you home, before midnight." He joked, pulling a giggle from Dani.

"Yeah or you're gonna have to hear Dean talk like he's my father again."

Sam opened the door for Dani and she hopped in. Before closing the door Sam leaned forward pressing his lips against hers. "Thank you."

She didn't need to ask him why he was thanking her. It was clear to her. Her was thankful that she gave them a second chance. He didn't need to thank her, because she was more than willing to give them another shot, but Sam needed her to know how thankful he was.

"You're welcome. Thank you for not giving up."

"Never again," he told her, kissing her once more, before closing the door and walking over the driver's side of the car. She couldn't wipe the silly grin from her face and when Sam saw it, he had his own grin playing across his face. They smiled the whole way back to the bunker completely happy with how the future looked for them.

* * *

 **This is the end. I hope you enjoyed this. It was my first time writing a series for SPN. Please let me know what you thought. Your feedback means more than you know. Thanks for reading! And I especially want to thank A.K. Hunter for her amazing editing skills and feedback! She's the best!**


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